Archive for March, 2011

Please excuse the fact that I’ve cut my head off – I’d been sewing for two days solid and my face and hair weren’t worth seeing – trust me lol!

I found this pattern quite easy to follow and the pieces went together well (I have to say the cotton fabric I had, sewed an absolute dream). I have still to hem the skirt which I think I am going to shorten a little more, I’m only 5’4″ so I’d already shaved 5″ off the length and I have to insert the zip. I think I may have to adjust the seams under the arms so that the dress lies flat but so far I’m impressed with my first dress and my first commercial pattern sewn :-).

Skirt Pieces

Placed Together

I shall have to give it a twirl at a sunday dance at some point – just got to finish it off first 🙂

My next sewing project (I have already coutout the pattern pieces) is New Look 6675:

New Look 6675

I aim to make pattern A with the shoulder straps and I have a black cotton fabric with little bright blue flowers embroidered on to it spaced about 1 1/2 inches apart. I am as far as cutting the pattern and have washed the fabric ready for cutting, I just need to find the time now to get it pressed and the pieces pinned and cut. I have a feeling that finding the time and skill to attempt this is going to take me some time lol 🙂 – oh well I can only try and strive to get it done.

I’ve always believed that dance and music brings people together – I started dancing in January 2010 and haven’t looked back since. Along the way I’ve crossed paths and met some amazing and talented people, below is the amazing story of one of those people in his own words………

Nebulosa by Sean A.McGee

I’m a musician. As a composer I have worked for independent film & TV projects and until a short time ago I was also the long haired ‘Extreme Metal’ lead guitarist, with successful British band, ‘Thirteenth Sign’.

One Saturday evening a few years ago I decided to switch on the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ show. It just so happens that the week I watched was to feature an Argentine Tango demonstration by Vincent Simone & Flavia Cacace.

WOW!…. I was mesmerised. The dancers. The music.

So excited was I by the sheer ‘heart to heart and depth of soul connection’ that this Tango could bring, it brought into question my whole envolvement and reason for working within the heavy metal scene. There was a real honesty and beauty in the music and dance that I didn’t have playing heavy metal every week.And as I’d already worked with film I understood how the music and emotion connection worked perfectly well.Dance was a new and exciting world to me and to be completely honest, I wanted ‘in’.

I quit the band!!!!!

So 18 months ago I managed to track down a local Argentine Tango class and myself and my fiancee, Linzi, tripped along as soon as we could. From the very first bar of music and ‘basic’ steps, we were hooked.Being musical I’ve obviously found something really exciting in the music we’ve been dancing to, especially that of the ElectroTango of bands such as, Gotan Project, BajaFondo and Tanghetto.We’ve since continued regular classes and milongas and are now taking IDTA medals.

Now the story takes a really exciting and sensational twist!

Last February, I booked tickets to see my now ‘dance idols’, Vincent & Flavia, in a local show at St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Afterwards I was fortunate enough to have a brief word with them. I wanted to know if anyone had ever written bespoke music for them before? I’d had a vague idea of writing fresh new music along side new choreography for quite a while and wanted to gauge their interest in such an idea.

To my extremely pleasant surprise they loved it but as Flavia told me they were so tied up with ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ that they could not do anything at that moment, but I was to stay in touch for the future. The one thing that really stuck in my mind was when Flavia said, “Where were you 3 years ago”?? Apparently they’d been looking for someone to do this very thing and couldn’t find anyone!It was this specific comment and my slightly ‘blue’ reaction to it that led me to write my very first ElectroTango track!The track, ‘3 Years To Late?’ was to be the first of many!

I took the tune to my dance class and we all danced through it together. To my surprise the result was one of sheer excitement from both the whole class and my dance instructors. Everybody said, “You must do an album, you MUST do an album!!”So to raise funds, I sold some of my heavy metal band equipment and invested in some new professional music equipment to make the best ElectroTango album I could.I wrote solidly for 4 months and by the summer of 2010 I’d completed the album.‘NEBULOSA’ was born!

It was whilst finalising all the artwork that I decided I’d like Vincent & Flavia to hear the album as If it hadn’t been for the conversation we’d all had back in the February, this project would not exist. I was hoping they might be able to give me a brief testimonial as to the quality of my workSeveral weeks passed and I continued with the artwork. Then, the Thursday before I was to sent the album off for pressing I got THE email that has changed my life!

Vincent & Flavia absolutely LOVED the album!!

In fact, they loved it so much that they wanted to join forces with me and to appear on the cover, sell on their website and market/merchandise the CD in the media as a whole!! MY IDOLS LOVED AND BELIEVED IN ME!!!!!After many excited emails flew back and forth we released the CD in September and by Christmas had covered all the production costs.We’ve sold well in the UK as well as to the USA & Australia.

I also sent the CD down to the organiser of London’s RiverTango festival and he loves it so much that I have an open offer to perform with a band at the festival!!I ‘ve also been asked to perform on the continent.I’ve been featured on my all my local BBC radio stations as well as independent radio and national press.

I’m currently writing the ‘difficult’ 2nd album but I have to say……….the Tango is still flowing through my veins today! I’m hugely proud to note that Flavia has named the first completed track, ‘Pensiero’ (Italian for ‘thought’)I’m looking to find a record company to work with this time and the plan for this year is to complete the new album and put together a line up of top musicians to take the ‘UK ElectroTango’ on the road.

I’m now a dancer AND a ‘transformed’ musician. I think this counts as an unusual Tango story……..Extreme Heavy Metal to Mellow ElectroTango!!

Wow – what a fabulous evening! Robin and Kristina swept us away by dancing a selection of latin dances to a Queen medley – fantastic!!!

They then dazzled us with a stunning series of ballroom routines with amazing costumes and they thoughtfully kept us all entertained by taking it turns to answer questions while the other changed costume. The evening was polished off with more latin routines with Kristina in an spectacular samba style latin dress, she looked stunning.

After trying in the years previous a Bobbi Brown gel liner that I found hard and unusable I was a little dubious about trying this new product from Maybelline.

It was actually an impulse by from my local Lloyds pharmacy when I was waiting for a dentist appointment and was bought for £7.99 (a fraction of the Bobbi Brown one previously mentioned). I was looking for a decent eyeliner to replace my expired Benefit Bad Gal one as I’m dancing at the Tower on Saturday and new I wasn’t going to be going remotely near any decent shops to get anything else – so it got bought.

I went out to a family meal last night and thought I would give it a whirl if I could manage a thin enough line with it for casual wear.

Verdict – I love it!! I did take a pic but it wans rubbish so I’ll take a proper one tomorrow when I’m getting ready for Blackpool. The gel itself isn’t hard in anyway like my other one was its smooth, creamy and glossy and glides on a dream. The little brush that they provide you with is great, its wider than it is deep with a rounded point so it’s easy to create thin/thick/shaped lines across your lid.

Staying power it appears to have – tomorrow night will be the definative teller after I’ve been twirling round a ballroom for a few hours but last night I managed to avoided liner lines one mu upper lids like I some times get with pencil liners after a while of wearing them. All in all I’m impressed!!

Well it’s that time of year when the Blackpool tower starts hosting Evenings of Dance featuring the stars of Strictly #SCD.

It gives the opportunity to watch, in this case, Kristina Rhianoff and Robin Windsor perform probably four or five ballroom and latin routines, and do a meet and greet and a Q&A session. Along with this is the opportunity to dance ourselves on the famous and beautiful Tower Ballroom floor.

Tower Ballroom - Evening of Dance

The hosts will play a combination of freestyle latin and ballroom, a selection of popular sequence dances and some fun dances for the kids. All of this is interspersed with a few routines from the Latin Fever formation teams.

Its the perfect opportunity toget your glad rags on and dust off your dancing shoes and quickstep round the floor ;-). I can’t wait, it seems like an age ago that the last one was held in September I think it was and a bargain at £15.

Pictures to follow on Sunday if I can get my shutter speed set correctly on my camera.

Neck trim attached – not fine. Even with steam ironing the fabric and stretching it and so far 3 attempts at easing – it doesn’t fit!! Its too small. I had to leave this and take a breather last night and hope that when I go back to it this morning with fresh (cough) eyes all will be fine.